This was originally published as an exclusive to McClatchy-Tribune Information Service.

Anti-government sentiment has been prevalent across the country, fueled in part by the acrimonious health-care debate, anger over the Wall Street and auto industry bailouts, anxiety over high unemployment rates, and worry over increased spending and ballooning budget...

This was originally published as an exclusive to The Washington Post.

There you go again, Mr. President.

After promising to restore faith in our government and make it "cool" and "competent," you slighted our public servants by derisively referring to them as "bureaucrats" in an effort to appease those...

As part of its oversight responsibilities, Congress constantly calls senior administration officials to Capitol Hill where they offer well-guarded and carefully crafted answers about conditions at their agencies.

If our legislative leaders really want a clearer picture of what's going on within the executive branch, they would be wise to...

This was originally published as an exclusive to The Washington Post.

Whenever government breaks down, there is tremendous political pressure on our elected leaders to do something about it, lest they be castigated by the voters for sitting on their hands. What do they often wind up doing? Changing...

This was originally published as an exclusive commentary for Politico.

President Barack Obama will fill nearly 600,000 government jobs, or close to a third of the current federal work force, during his four-year term, offering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to remake our depleted and often embattled civil service.

This...

Our economy is in turmoil. A deadly flu must be contained. We are fighting two wars. Our planet is warming. Health care costs and the number of uninsured continue to rise. China and India are emerging as economic rivals. Now, more than ever, the American people need effective government.

We...

This was originally published as an exclusive commentary for BusinessWeek.

Amid all the uncertainty in Washington, one thing is clear: The private sector's traditional way of doing business with our federal government must change. No change holds more potential to benefit both sides of this relationship than greater...

This was originally published as an exclusive commentary for The Washington Post.

President Obama has named National Zoo Director John Berry to lead the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Berry's new job will make getting giant pandas to reproduce look easy.

As difficult as the task may be,...

This was originally posted as an exclusive commentary for The Washington Post.

The $787 billion economic stimulus package has raised serious questions about the ability of our federal government to fulfill its basic duties, and will require more than just the close scrutiny promised by the Obama administration.

This was originally published as an exclusive commentary for the Washington Post.

President Bill Clinton announced 13 years ago that the era of big government is over, and by one measure, that is true. The number of permanent full-time civil service employees today -- almost 1.9 million -- is...

This was originally posted as an exclusive commentary for The Washington Post.

"The question we ask today is not whether government is too big or too small, but whether it works."

With this declaration from his inaugural address last week, President Barack Obama laid out a new governing philosophy,...

This was originally published as an exclusive commentary for Washington Monthly.

Barack Obama must begin rebuilding federal agencies fast--or risk seeing his entire agenda undermined.

Every two years the federal government conducts a "Human Capital Survey" of its own employees. Nearly a quarter of a million civil servants participate,...

This was originally posted as an exclusive commentary for The Washington Post.

President-elect Barack Obama's choice today of Nancy Killefer as our government's first chief performance officer (CPO) raises one obvious question: "What will a federal CPO do?" The details of Killefer's role and responsibilities remain fuzzy, but one...

This was originally posted as an exclusive commentary for Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity.

A Holiday Appeal to Improve How Government Assists Those in Need

Nearly two-thirds of Americans report being "hurt" by the recession, but for the millions who live in poverty, the economic downturn has them not...

The excitement created by Barack Obama's election combined with the faltering economy has led to an unprecedented deluge of applications for federal jobs -- a perfect opportunity for the government to hire some of the nation's previously unavailable top talent.

Unfortunately, the odds are that this story will end badly.